Uruguay has announced a plan to kill two birds with one nug. The South American nation that prides itself on safety and community (people still leave their doors unlocked there, seriously) intends to regulate and sell marijuana on a national level.

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"It's a fight on both fronts: against consumption and drug trafficking." Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro told reporters late Wednesday. "We think the prohibition of some drugs is creating more problems to society than the drug itself."

Under the new scheme, users over the age of 18 who register in a national database will reportedly be sold up to 40 joints a month, though anything more than that earns you a stint in rehab. According to officials, the plan should weaken the local illicit drug trade by regulating the most profitable portion—the customer base. There is no word yet on where exactly the government sanctioned buds will be coming from, so the drug lords may not yet be entirely assed-out. [WaPo via @420Science - h/t Augusto V. - Image: The AP]

DEA Admin Michele Leonhart was summoned to Capitol Hill recently to testify before the House as to the health implications of Marijuana, especially versus narcotics like crack, meth, and heroin. It did not end well.